Bernard Fanning, the former frontman of the disbanded Powderfinger, is currently toiling away on a new solo album. The upcoming album is just the second solo effort from Fanning and will be the follow-up to 2005’s Tea & Sympathy.

As reported by News.com.au, Fanning’s second solo album will touch on some very personal subjects. Soon after Powderfinger finished their 2010 farewell tour, Fanning’s father passed away. Following this, members of his family were caught in the Brisbane Floods of 2010-11. On a more positive note, however, this year saw the birth of Fanning’s son.

With so much transpiring in Fanning’s life over the last couple of years, the singer/songwriter says it’s only natural such themes would find their way onto the record.

“A lot of things changed for me. Powderfinger finished and that had been my whole adult life. A couple of months later, Dad died after a long illness. Then I moved out of Australia and it wasn’t going to be for that long but we had another baby and moving around with kids,” Fanning explained, according to News.com.au.

“My Dad died and then I had a son. All that stuff that happens, the big life scenarios, it was an intense year but great too and you’re gonna write about it.”

“I was conscious of avoiding the Dad song initially. Then I relented and did write something. We haven’t finished recording the album so I don’t know yet if it will be on there.”

As for the direction of the new record, Fanning said he has changed his approach to song construction in order to capture a more groove based soulful sound.

“I wanted to write songs from the rhythm up instead of the melody down. When I wrote my first record I wrote everything with acoustic guitar, vocals and wine,” revealed Fanning.

“It’s mostly soulful rock. A little more keyboard and a little more mongrel…I have always had major problems trying to describe what I am doing.”